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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center release

NASA to Host Google+ Hangout on 'Earthrise' a New Visualization – 45th Anniversary of Apollo 8 Viewing Earth from Space

NASA will host a Google+ hangout at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) Friday, Dec. 20, to unveil a new simulation of the events leading to the creation of "Earthrise," one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.

It was 45 years ago on Dec. 24, 1968, when Apollo 8 astronauts captured the photograph called "Earthrise," the first color photograph of Earth taken by a person orbiting the moon.

This new simulation allows anyone to virtually ride with the astronauts and experience the awe they felt at the vista in front of them. The new computer simulation was created using data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and includes details not seen in previous visualizations. Launched in June 2009, LRO has conducted science activities and returned a treasure trove of unprecedented images of the lunar surface.

Google+ hangouts allow as many as 10 people or groups to chat, while thousands more can watch the conversation live on Google+ or YouTube.

NASA social media followers may submit questions on Google+ or Twitter in advance and during the event using the hashtag #Earthrise or #askNASA. Before the hangout begins, NASA Goddard will open a thread on its Facebook page where questions may be posted.

It is one of the most famous photos ever taken — the Earth rising over the moon's horizon as seen firsthand by the 1968 Apollo 8 crew. And yet, more than four decades later, details about how the photo was captured are still being uncovered.

Four days shy of the photo's 45th anniversary, NASA on Friday (Dec. 20) released a new simulation of the events that led to the creation of the image known as "Earthrise." The new video was created using topographic data from the space agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been circling the moon since 2009.

"This new simulation allows anyone to virtually ride with the astronauts and experience the awe they felt at the vista in front of them," NASA said in a release teasing the video.

mercsim

Absolutely wonderful! I got goose bumps watching it. Hearing the crews excitement gives the photos a new sense of awe.

The team that worked on the video deserve a bonus. They did a great job!

keith.wilson

I thought Borman was the first to spot and announce that the Earth coming up over the horizon and didn't he take the first photo with black and white film? Anders then took the two colour shots.

Also Anders perspective of the scene was vertical with Earth on the left and the Moon on the right although this magnificent image is rarely printed that way.

Nevertheless this simulation of the event is very well done.

Robert Pearlman

According to Andrew Chaikin, what this simulation reveals is that Anders was the first to spot it. The quote ("Oh my God! Look at that picture over there!") has been misattributed to Borman.

Chaikin also says, "To be 'really' accurate, the moon is on the left-hand side of the image," based on Anders' view of the scene.

keith.wilson

Did Anders then take all three images (one black and white and two colour)?

Robert Pearlman

Yes, as Chaikin said during today's Google+ Hangout, NASA Goddard's Ernie Wright pointed out you can hear in the onboard audio every time Anders takes a photo — you can hear the shutter release and the mechanical advance of the Hassleblad camera.

Ronpur

That was exciting! Very well done. And now I finally know what the front of the Apollo 8 Command Module looked like with no docking probe!!

randy

Brought back some very fond memories.

One Big Monkey

That's excellent!

I kind of beat them to it in some respects though — I plotted all of the orbital photos on Google Moon, and you can indeed see the roll of the command module in them! The Google Moon files are here.

It's interesting that the Earthrise phenomena was a piece of serendipity, but went on to become one of the essential Apollo astronaut experiences, and one captured on all the missions except 13.

Captain Apollo

Was Borman serious about the photo not being authorised?

Robert Pearlman

It was a running joke from earlier in the flight, when Anders, who was in charge of the mission's photography, admonished Borman for requesting the camera to take a picture because it was not on their planned list of shots.

stsmithva

quote:Originally posted by Captain Apollo:Was Borman serious about the photo not being authorised?

I also liked Anders' "Calm down, Lovell!" which had to be a joke. They were able to be a little wacky during a rather frantic minute.

gliderpilotuk

Awesome! Beautifully recreated and fine audio quality. I like the way Andrew attributes Earthrise to all three astronauts. A very special mission.

DChudwin

As the video shows, the Earth was coming around the Moon and not actually rising. So the Earthrise picture (AS08-14-2383) should be rotated to have the lunar surface to one side and not horizontal as usually depicted.

The original frame shows the Moon on the right with the Earth in the center. This was the vantage point when the photo was taken, although orientation in space is relative and not fixed.

Robert Pearlman

Based on the orientation of the spacecraft at the time (nose down), where Anders was when he took it (in the righthand seat) and what window he was looking out of (his side window), the original frame is upside down. The moon should be on the left and the Earth on the right.

DChudwin

Robert,I believe the thumbnail images in the Apollo photo image catalog have not been altered and represent the film as developed.

Zimmerman in his book on Apollo 8 states the astronauts reported the Earth rising from right to left. This suggests the Moon should be vertical and on the right. Perhaps someone could query Anders, Borman or Lovell as to the orientation of the Moon as they saw it.

Robert Pearlman

According to Andy Chaikin, who pointed out the proper moon-left orientation cited above, Anders was consulted in the course of creating the new NASA visualization, which revealed the circumstances under which the photograph was taken.

If you can imagine yourself inside the Apollo 8 command module sitting in the righthand seat, the moon is directly in front of you, filling your forward window. Now look to your right out the side window. The moon is on the left and the blackness of space (punctured by the blue Earth) is to the right.

DChudwin

Space enthusiasts on Facebook (Space Hipsters) and the collectSPACE website have been debating how the famous "Earthrise" photograph taken on Dec. 24, 1968 should be displayed. The picture is usually depicted with the Earth rising over a horizontal lunar surface. However, as Apollo 8 flew around the Moon, the Earth went from right to left horizontally and it was the lunar terminator that was vertical.

The question is whether the image should show the vertical lunar surface to the right or left of the Earth. The original picture in the Apollo Image catalog shows the Moon to the right of the Earth. However, some experts such as Andy Chaikin and Robert Pearlman maintain the correct position is to portray the Moon on the left.

I e-mailed Apollo 8 Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell and asked him the question, sending two versions of the image, one with the Moon on the left, the other on the right.

I have received the following reply:

The moon was to the right of the earth (second photo). However the photo was taken with the moon directly below us much like an airplane view. Therefore the Earthrise photo correctly depicts the scene as we saw it.